Christopher Howse has spent more than two decades exploring Spain. For him, its centuries-old cathedrals, monasteries and shrines demand pilgrimage more than tourism. In a journey across the Castilian interior he follows in the footsteps of El Cid and St Dominic, examines St Teresa's arm, samples the legacy of the Cardinal who invaded Africa, finds the spot where St John of the Cross escaped from prison, and discovers in a mountain shrine the world's largest remnant of the True Cross. He comes across a slaughterhouse dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and a cock and hen living in a cathedral. He hears of uncivil war in Europe's most civilised square and enjoys the smells, heat, food, noise, prayers, tears, flies, smoke, violence and laughter of an ancient culture in its last years. With an eye for the humorous and strange, he spends time in Soria and Silos, Yuste and Segovia, before turning from the pilgrim destination of Santiago de Compostela to the valleys of Extremadura, where the Virgin of Guadalupe took the Spanish to an unknown world.
Pilgrim in Spain
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'A Pilgrim in Spain' is a book whose myriad eccentricities mirror those of the Spain it celebrates.' -- The Spectator. 'Howse is an excellent companion' -- Times Literary Supplement. 'Howse brocades A Pilgrim in Spain with bibliographic allusions (Somerset Maugham, Théophile Gautier) and excels at revealing the spirit of a place. Toledo, with its Moorish gateways and other caliphate splendours, is evocatively rendered.' -- The Telegraph. 'Howse shows that he has a pleasing eye for anecdotes. A regular visitor to Spain for the last 20-odd years, he is a keen observer of its apparent oddities, whether noticing a slaughterhouse dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows or pondering why a henhouse cooping up a white cockerel is inside a cathedral.' -- The Times. 'Howse is an excellent companion' -- Times Literary Supplement 'Savoured slowly, the book is richly rewarding for those who enjoy poking around in the past... To travel with him through these pages is a delight.' -- Standpoint. 'Here is an enchanting and instructive vade mecum to which sestiose travellers in no particular hurry will turn during that purposeless part of a Spanish afternoon which, if it were in England, would be getting on for teatime' -- The Tablet. 'A delightful new book' -- The Catholic Herald. Howse not only knows his Spain well but he has done a lot of careful research into the background of Spanish history… the reading of [this] book was a sheer pleasure' -- The Pastoral Review. '[Christopher Howse] has an eye for the amusing and the way-out.' The Church of England Newspaper. '[A] fascinating account of places of pilgrimage in Spain... the author's subtle wit make this very readable.' ---- The Bookseller
'... Howse is not without useful advice... around every corner there are fresh surprises...' --The Tablet
'Howse is an excellent companion' --Times Literary Supplement
'... Howse is not without useful advice... around every corner there are fresh surprises...' --The Tablet
'Howse is an excellent companion' --Times Literary Supplement
About the Author
Christopher Howse is an assistant editor of The Daily Telegraph and a regular contributor to The Spectator and The Tablet. Among his bestselling books for Continuum are Prayers for This Life (2005) and The Assurance of Hope (2006). He is the author of How We Saw It: 150 years of The Daily Telegraph (2004).
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29 of 29 people found the following review helpful
By Alex H
Format:Hardcover
This is a wonderful book, full of learning, subtle wit and remarkable insight. Howse's voice will be familiar to readers of his Sacred Mysteries column in Saturday's Telegraph. Here it is writ large, allowed to roam across north-western and central Spain. Some places were familiar to me, many not. All taught me - and, it would seem, Howse, something. "Pilgrimage," he writes, "is the expectation of a particular grace to be found in the journey." This is an armchair journey well worth making.
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
By A. Brown
Format:Hardcover
Try this book - it's unusual and brilliant. Howse, a solitary traveller who observes everything, builds a powerful sense of place with precise and detailed description. He's very good on churches and architecture, which you might expect, but he writes about anything that he finds interesting - it might be an old woman's monologue overheard in a town square, or the different smells in a Spanish bar. Always it is done with great economy of means and there's no straining for effect. You get drawn in and you just want to continue on the road with him. "In Spanish," he says, "dolor means both pain and sorrow, and is one of the undoubted touchstones of human life." There is pathos in this book, too, because the author is sensitive to the way the Spain he loves is changing. All in all, A Pilgrim in Spain is a terrific read - and bound to become a classic.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By MaryB
Format:Hardcover
This is essential reading for anyone travelling to Northern Spain. For those on a pilgrimage or indeed those who want to know why as well as when a church was built or events took a particular turn, Christopher Howse's book is both a starting place and something to be carried in a pocket, knapsack or car. Howse writes with humour where appropriate but always in an elegant style. And you don't even have to be familiar with 'his' Spain to appreciate this book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
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Good Flavour and History of Spain
I have travelled extensively in Spain, and also walked the Camino de Santiago. I found Howse's book very readable and obviously written by someone with a great knowledge and love... Read more
Published 20 months ago by James G. McKelvie
5.0 out of 5 stars
To be a pilgrim
A wonderful read, not only for those who have never walked the pilgrim routes in Spain, but for those who have and can reminisce.
Published 20 months ago by Mrs. B. A. Robbins
3.0 out of 5 stars
An Obvious Error
I love Spain and I have travelled all over the country on journeys of exploration. I nearly always stay at the Parador hotels and I am a member of the Amigo de Paradores. Read more
Published 23 months ago by geoffbristoluk
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